A note from our editor: I’ve always considered the word “Survivor” to mean more than its definition. After spending a few hours talking with Florence Mayer Lieblich, that word represents something truly greater. It is an extraordinary honor, that Smithtown Today will launch the first “Smithtown Yesterday” column with Florence Mayer Lieblich, a true hero and survivor of history’s most horrid atrocity… the holocaust. Florence Mayer Lieblich endured losing her whole family, lived through unspeakable horrors, physical and mental assaults, starvation and unending fear. The 96 year old has devoted her life to preserving the memory of her family, friends and neighbors, assuring future generations never forget what happened.
Before meeting with Florence, the community & public relations team at Gurwin forwarded a manuscript, written by Florence Mayer Lieblich some 20 years ago. She had chronicled a vivid and detailed account of her life before, during and after the holocaust. In the Manuscript preface, Florence Mayer Lieblich dedicates her story in loving memory to her husband; Dr. Philip Lieblich’s family and her own family, all of whom perished in the Holocaust. She states her wishes to share the many wonderful memories of her “Sainted Parents” with her daughter, Gloria, Son-in-Law and grandchildren, so they may know the family she lost. But by sharing her accounts of the Holocaust, in the manuscript, she is also informing generations to come of the horrible travesties committed so that we may never forget. To read the Manuscript online, visit Remember.org/Florence
With the exception of her older brother, who moved to the US, prior to the Nazi Occupation, Florence and her husband, Philip were the lone survivors of each family. Both she and her husband, were two of the 86 survivors, out of the 10,000 residents who once lived in her hometown of Czortkow, Poland (now part of Ukraine).
“Love your Country and Fight for your freedom”
While every word Florence speaks is a pearl of wisdom, her passion for patriotism, in both the U.S. and Israel is steadfast and inspiring.
“I tell my Gloria, and my grandchildren, You must treasure your freedom. You have two Countries, America and Israel… love them both always.” -Florence Mayer Lieblich
Florence has lived in two worlds, one without freedom. For her, watching people protest, or celebrities and other powerful individuals who refuse to acknowledge Mr. Trump as the President of the free world, represents an indication of how much those born in the U.S. take freedom of speech for granted. Whereas, during WWII, Florence had witnessed the murder of a religious man right on her street, simply for holding a Torah.
“Our Freedom was stripped away,” she exclaimed. “If the Gestapo or the Judenrat (Jewish collaborators acting as police) caught you out of the ghettos you would be murdered or taken away to Bergen-Belsen.”
Florence continued her story, telling us how the family cleaning lady claimed their home as her own one day. Kasha, who was Ukrainian police, came into the home where Florence was born and yelled “Get out you filthy Jews. We will kill you all!” Before the family left the home for the very last time, Gitel; Florence’s mother, told Kasha to remember one thing… “My Daughter will survive,” Florence said. “Then my mother looked at me and said Don’t you forget it… You will live.” Florence told us that her mother’s premonitions were never wrong.
As fate would have it, Florence got to look her cleaning lady in the eye after the liberation. She went back to her home to collect a list of keepsakes, when a few Russian Policemen offered to help. They were there to arrest Kasha and her family for War Crimes. Florence repeated her mother’s words to Kasha, “I told you I would survive” as she collected everything Kasha had stolen from her family. Florence continued her account, “I will never forget the look on the faces of the soldiers who liberated us from the hell we were living… they couldn’t believe their own eyes. It was all too awful.”
“If you make a mistake, you pay for it”
“If you make a mistake, you pay for it,” says Florence Mayer Lieblich. While listening to her story, Florence expressed regret, blaming herself for the deaths of her mother and father. She did not want to leave her home, when the war first began. After hearing the vividly descriptive story of Florence Mayer Lieblich, I truly believe that she is responsible for saving all those who lived on her block and others. She has also told the story of those who were murdered, while preaching faith, love and tolerance, preserving their memory for all of eternity.
Weeks before the first Aktion (a mass deportation and murder of Jews by the Nazis) Florence and her family prepared for their survival, by building hiding spaces. They built a wall in the attic that was big enough to fit the people living on her block. Behind the wall, they stored mattresses, pillows, containers of water, pails for the bathroom, dried fruit and bread. Florence spread word to the families and her friends that they should come and hide in the attic with her family. That bunker saved the lives of so many of her neighbors, friends and family. It was Florence’s fearlessness that gave her the will to warn all she could.
“Learn Your Story”
Knowing where you come from, your heritage and the history behind your family roots, will help to define your future. For Florence, teaching is everything. Her life’s goal was to tell her Daughter, grandchildren and future generations, of her family’s courage, her husband’s nobel actions and the sacrifices made from love that led to her and Dr. Philip Lieblich’s survival.
In July of 1941, the Nazi Army invaded Florence’s hometown of Czortkow, Poland (now part of Ukraine). She credits her parents for teaching her to be smart, remain overly cautious, careful who to trust.
The Ukrainians were already full of hatred and violence towards the Jewish community members in her village. Even the children would throw stones, yell out despicable names and call for the Gestapo’s. There was a Judenrat, or Jewish municipal administrations and a Jewish Police that Florence’s family had to be cautious of as well. “These collaborators thought they would be protected as long as they turned in other Jews,” Florence remarks. “But they were either killed or sent to Bergen-Belsen, a concentration camp, during the Aktion.” One man in the Judenrat warned Florence’s family that the first Aktion would be taking place in the coming weeks.
After the first mass murder in the town of Czortkow, Florence came out of hiding when she saw her friend, at the time, Dr. Philip Lieblich. Even after witnessing the murder and capture of entire family, from a hiding space, Philip had gone out to check the pulses of all who lay in the street. Dr. Lieblich would risk his life every day to get to the hospital and help the wounded. He did this each day until “Juderein” was declared in Czortkow in 1943.
Juderein meant all Jews were to be killed on sight by the Germans and Ukrainians, until there were no more. When it was declared, Dr. Lieblich came to the Synagogue where Florence and her family had been living in hiding. Florence’s father, a Rabbi, knew it was no longer safe to stay in Czortkow. But he and his wife were too weak to travel. And so, Rabbi Meir Leib Mayer Ben Moshe married Florence and Philip. After a few weeks of Florence trying to change her parents minds about leaving with her and Phil, her mother and father called for the brave to Doctor to come take Florence away.
“My parents knew we would survive and that was enough for them. My mother made me promise to do everything in my power to survive and to never forget what was done to us. That was the last time I would see my beautiful mother and father.” – Florence Mayer Lieblich
“If you don’t like it… Don’t listen”
Florence has no problem being upfront and honest with anyone. She joked with us about how her daughter Gloria would lecture her about yelling “Jesus Christ” when she’s startled.
“I tell her those words saved my life on many occasions. So if you don’t like it, you don’t have to listen.” – Florence Mayer Lieblich
During the Nazi invasion, if a German wasn’t sure if a girl was Jewish, he would tap her on the shoulder. Florence said, “ if she yelled Oy, Mamanu he would kill her on the spot. But, if she yelled Jesus Christ, he apologized and walk away.” After all that Florence endured to this day, “Jesus Christ” is the natural reflex, implanted in her mind when she is surprised by something.
To this day, Florence has kept the promises she made to her parents. She holds on to her faith, even if she is ill, she never misses a sabbath and special occasions like her grandchildren’s bar and bat mitzvahs. While the memory of what happened to both her husbands family and hers is more than painful to relive, Florence believes it is a calling to continue to tell her story to all who listen. Simply put, “There death’s must not be in vain” Florence says.
Florence Mayer Lieblich considers it her duty as a Holocaust survivor, to continue to inform the world about all that European Jews endured during WWII. By doing so she assures that the thousands of families and bloodlines that disappeared in Bergen- Belson and the mass graves in Galicia, will never be forgotten. Remembering the Holocaust is not just about the hatred and unspeakable acts the Nazi’s inflicted upon an entire religion and culture. It is about protecting future generations from it ever happening again. It is about giving pride, dignity and honor to those who once had it taken away. By remembering the Holocaust, honoring Survivors and preserving the memory of the six million murdered, we unite the world through love for our fellow man, woman and child, despite their race, culture or religion.